Tom Brady might not actually be retiring “for good,” as the former quarterback announced last year. He said this week on a podcast that he’s “not opposed” to returning to playing in the league.
“I’m not opposed to it,” Brady said when asked on the “DeepCut with VicBlends” podcast if he would pick up the phone if a team in need called him with an offer. “I don’t know if they are going to let me if I become an owner of an NFL team.
“I don’t know, I’m always going to be in good shape. I’ll always be able to throw the ball. So, to come in for a little bit, like M.J. coming back, I don’t know if they’d let me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
The podcast host, Vic Blends, mentioned the San Francisco 49ers needing a quarterback in the playoffs as a potential scenario when asking his question in the episode released Thursdaywhile Brady mentioned the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders before he answered, adding, “You never know.”
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN in May 2023 that he and Brady had “come to an agreement” for the future Hall of Fame quarterback to join the organization’s ownership group, pending NFL approval.
Brady’s path toward making a bid to purchase a stake in the Raiders began the year prior, in May 2022. Then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback, Brady attended a Las Vegas Aces game and was intrigued by the growth of the WNBA, and soon sparked a conversation with Davis, who also owns the Aces.
“I think he was just really impressed with how far women’s basketball has come,” Davis told The Athletic in March 2023. “And he was also impressed by the excitement and the enthusiasm of the crowd in Las Vegas. He knew that I was in it, and I think he just felt he wanted to be a part of it. And so, his people contacted me, and we talked about it, and he became a partner in the world champion Las Vegas Aces.”
Brady acquired an ownership stake in the Aces in March 2023. Just two months later, he made a bid to purchase a stake in the Raiders. He’s been reportedly aiming to buy 10 percent of the franchise, which was valued at $6.2 billion by Forbes last year.
Davis has also kept details close to the vest about Brady’s pending acquisition, but he remains optimistic that the transaction will ultimately get approved.
“We’re excited for Tom to join the Raiders,” Davis told ESPN in May 2023. “And it’s exciting because he will be just the third player in the history of the National Football League to become an owner.”
Brady, 46, retired following a historic 23-year career, in which he won seven Super Bowls — six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. He returned to the Buccaneers in March 2022 after initially announcing his retirement the month before. He reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal to join Fox as a broadcaster shortly after retiring last year.
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
2024-04-12 00:04:37
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